The Tamil/Malayalam bilingual comes in the guise of tackling the water problems of Tamil Nadu and Kerala but what turns out to be is a confused and confusing misadventure that gives the audience a migraine.
Three journalists set out to find a true life hero Indra (Jaya Prada) who lives in a village at the Tamil Nadu- Kerala border. Through interview from a government official (Nasser) a collector (Revathi) and a village headman (Parthiban) they begin to learn about who she really is and what she has done for her village and how she became a hero.
Jayaprada looking every bit like the Bollywood heroine she is fails to pass of as village woman. Moreover her character does not do anything noteworthy in the film to justify the build up she gets. Parthiban starts talking philosophy literally every time he opens his mouth and does not get any chance to prove his mettle. Nasser manages to sleepwalk through his role quite convincingly until the climax when he too gives a discourse about Indra. Anu Haasan has done a fair job as a single mother in the village but even she is miscast. Revathi, Rekha, M.S.Bhaskar and Thalaivasal Vijay are the other stars who have been wasted in this mess.
The positive of this film is the opening song "Aiyasaamy' sung by SPB and Yesudas who also appear which has Tamilian-Malayalee bonding as its theme. The first fifteen or so minutes move with some purpose and clarity.
The rest of the two hours or so move pointlessly with neither using the talented starcast's skill or moving the story forward making it one hell ride of boredom.
Jayachandran's songs have that distinct Kerala flavour and are quite pleasant while Sam C.S background score too is passable. Other technical details are so so. Writer director Nishad tries to tell two different stories. One about how the people who take on the system are branded naxals and terrorists and another is the water problem between the two states symbolized through a well at the border. With complete lack of imagination in scripting and execution he sadly fails even though his intentions are good.
Verdict : Thoroughly avoidable fare
